ABSTRACT
Resveratrol (RES; also called 3,4ʹ,5-trihydroxystilbene; C14H12O3) is a phytoalexin found mainly in the grapes and in red wine. RES exhibits antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory actions in several experimental models. Moreover, RES triggers apoptosis in tumor cells. The effects induced by RES have been seen in different mammalian tissues; however, the effects of RES on the brain have attracted the attention of researchers worldwide due to the brain particularities, such as high oxygen (O2) consumption, low levels of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant defenses, and high amounts of peroxidisable lipids, as well as a high content of transition metals.
In this context, the mitochondria play a central role in both bioenergetics and redox status maintenance in brain cells. Besides being the main site of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, the mitochondria generate most of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mammalian cells, including neurons and glia. Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction leads to both energetic and redox impairments, sometimes causing neuronal and glial apoptosis. Several studies demonstrated that RES may be a potent brain mitochondria protective agent due to its ability in modulating mitochondrial function and dynamics in both in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Here, the mitochondria-related effects resulting from the treatment with RES will be described and discussed, focusing on the mechanism of action by which this polyphenol affected the function and the dynamics of these organelles in the mammalian brain.
